Chapter 4: Uneasy Start (2)

I will ask everyone. What is your first thought when you think of an entrance ceremony?

"Finally, we wish the students who have enrolled in our Halo Academy nothing but glory and blessings..."

What exactly was it? These were the Principal's words. Should I address him as President here?

In any case, the long and tedious speeches seemed to be the same wherever I went. Instead, I was bored by myself, but the new freshmen next to me had dazzling eyes.

The Principal of Halo Academy, which was said to be the best educational institution in the Minerva Empire, had to be a high-ranking individual, and the way these high-ranking individuals perceived him explained why.

For me, it was just a good word from a good-looking old man. I wished this time would pass as quickly as possible.

'By the way, how much money did you spend here?'

The entrance ceremony was held in the auditorium, and the scale was frightening. It's about the size of two regular gyms.

It was estimated that the capacity had increased as not only freshmen but also parents and other visitors came to see promising students. However, the sheer size remained unchanged.

'...I can't see anything.'

Above all, the principal's face on the podium couldn't be seen. Not only the principal but also the faces of the people sitting in the chairs next to him.

I was also sitting in the back, and I had poor eyesight. As I read and write books every day, my eyesight naturally deteriorated.

That's not too bad, it was good enough for everyday life. If it wasn't for that, I would have worn my glasses earlier.

Since I felt the discomfort of glasses in my previous life, I have been managing them steadily.

"...so, I wish everyone good luck. That's it."

When the principal, or no, the president's instruction was over, thunderous applause erupted. I was spacing out for a while, so I was startled and instantly applauded.

Then, the sound of applause calmed down, and I wondered if I was finally going to the dormitory, the voice of the guide rang out. By the way, that's a magic broadcast.

[Next, we will proceed with a speech from the Princess of Helium, Cecily Drat Aicilia Bean.]

Damn. I can't believe there's still something left.

As I was muttering to myself, the inside of the auditorium began to rumble.

- Are you really going to the academy? a demon?

- I'm a little nervous, though.

- Wow... It's so pretty.

I'm ashamed to say these things out of my mouth, but through Xenon's biography, the gaze toward the demons changed.

I couldn't even imagine how discriminatory they would have been living before. As demons were always treated as more than a walking time bomb, it must have been very severe.

Maybe that's why the demons seemed to have difficulty getting out of Helium because it is not easy. Cecily's decision was so unconventional and bold.

'...but I can't see anything.'

Even if I narrowed my eyes and focused my gaze on the podium, I still couldn't see the princess well. In fact, it's strange to see a detailed face from this distance, but to me, it's just a black mass moving.

Pretty, beautiful, big breasts, sexy, etc. There were a lot of praises related to her appearance, but unfortunately, I couldn't see it.

Had I known this would happen, I would have sat in the front. This was all because of my habit of sitting in the back seat in my previous life.

Woong-

[Oh, Oh, Um. Hello everyone. Nice to meet you. My name is Cecily Drat Aicilia Bean, Princess of Helium]

Wow. your voice is really cool. It sounds like it would be a hit on the radio.

Perhaps I was the only one who thought so, and as soon as Cecily opened her mouth, the inside of the auditorium became silent. How pretty the voice must be to make the noisy auditorium quiet in an instant.

Meanwhile, Cecily continued what she wanted to say in an alluring and dark voice.

[You know, you still won't believe it. Because I was a demon, I was called the darkest being in the world. Perhaps there are still some people who are reluctant, and maybe there are others who despise us.]

Perhaps it was because the words had a strong appeal. I put my thoughts aside and began to listen intently. Perhaps everyone else was thinking the same way I was, because they all listened with solemn expressions on their faces.

Cecily seemed to take a look around her audience and then expressed her feelings in a powerful voice.

[Then, one day, after a book was published, the view toward demons changed. The book portrayed us as pitiful beings wishing to be human, a time bomb that never knew when it would explode. Through that story, it directly revealed the desire we desperately wanted.]

"Well..."

I smiled shakily. It was nothing, but hearing those words directly made my face all get hotter.

Does Cecily know that the author of Xenon's biography is in this auditorium? Even if the sky falls, she will never know.

[I'm going to show you what he showed you in the previous book. That we demons, like humans, can laugh, talk, cry, and have fun. We will undoubtedly show you. Thank you.]

Words that clearly showed one's will and determination rather than words that come out of one's mouth.

That was really cool. All I could think about at the time was how wonderful it was.

Would it be possible for me to do that? I can definitely say I can't do it. I didn't live a crooked life like Cecily, and I didn't have the courage.

'...not bad.'

As I watched Cecily go down from the podium, I cheered with sincerity. When I read it in the newspaper, it felt so absurd, but now my heart was touched.

If the heroine in the novel appeared in reality, it would be just like that. I just thought it was really great.

'I wish I could have seen her face properly.'

It's a pity that I couldn't see her face because of my bad eyesight. Well, she's a freshman too, so maybe we'll run into each other sometime.

[This concludes the Halo Academy's 1012th Entrance Ceremony. Please check the class assigned to each new student. Classes start tomorrow. That's all.]

The long and lengthy entrance ceremony has finally come to an end. We'll have to check the class in a little while, so I was going to go to the dormitory first.

I stayed still as people rushed out of the auditorium. If I cut in now, I would get hit here and there, so I was planning on going out after a while.

"Isaac!"

"Yes?"

"Here, here!"

Then I heard my name being called. I wouldn't have known if they had called someone with the same name, but because it was a familiar voice, I couldn't help but turn my head.

When I turned my head, I saw a man with red hair like mine and golden eyes like a bird of prey, waving his arm. Also next to him stood a woman with golden eyes just like his and navy blue hair.

As soon as I saw the faces of the two, I ran towards them with a smile on my face. I couldn't help but smile with joy.

"Brother! Sister!"

"It's been a while. Isaac."

"How have you been doing?"

It's my brother and sister. The names are Dave and Nicole, respectively.

The older brother resembles our father, exuding the image of a strong warrior, and the older sister resembled our mother, so she was quite a beauty.

"What are you doing here?"

"For some reason, I'm here to see our youngest's entrance ceremony."

Nicole bowed slightly and answered in a soft voice. The reason she bowed was so that she could be at my eye level.

I'm not sure about her face, but her body was passed down from our father, so she was quite tall. She's probably taller than the majority of men.

"How have you been? How are your father and mother?"

Then Dave asked about our parents' well-being.

I met his golden eyes and answered kindly.

"It's always the same. I think they'll be like that forever"

"Really? Our parents are... Do they like each other that much?"

Dave grinned and looked around. There were still a lot of people around who hadn't left.

Dave bowed his head slightly and asked me in a whisper.

"I'm sorry to say this as soon as we met, can you tell me when the next volume is coming out?"

"... ..."

Once again, as expected. I hardened my body for a moment before putting on a sad face.

Dave was startled by my expression and began to spit out excuses one by one. Nicole's eyes narrowed next to him.

"Oh, no. Of course! It's important to see our youngest more! Still, I can't help but wonder..."

"Be quiet. Is the book more important to you than your brother? This child is upset. Isaac, you can ignore that idiot. Okay?"

"...yes."

By the way, if you add up the age of my previous life, I am older than these two. But I don't care about that little thing anymore.

This is because my mind is complicated after paying attention for no reason, and these two have a more mature side than me. Or maybe I could have aged like a shit.

"Sigh...Anyway, I'm sorry. You must be under a lot of stress, and I made a mistake."

"No. It's okay. By the way, did you hear the speech the Princess of Helium gave earlier?"

In a situation like this, it was best to change the topic. As soon as Dave heard my question, he turned his gaze to the podium. I and Nicole followed his gaze.

Princess Cecily still remained on the podium. And there was someone beside her, and she was Princess Rina, whom I saw at the entrance to the academy.

Although I didn't know what the two women were talking about, their expressions were quite bright.

"I'm sure she has the qualifications to be a princess. If it was me, I couldn't do that in front of everyone."

"Um... right?"

"So how do you feel? It's actually your book that made the Princess of Helium stand on the podium."

Nicole asked quietly. But I couldn't answer easily.

Should I say it doesn't feel real, or should I say it's strange?

I felt moved when I heard the speech, but now it's really awkward. I really thought so.

The reason why I felt this way was because of my past life, but above all, I had no experience in the world right now.

I had never seen discrimination against demons with my own eyes, nor did I know what kind of incidents and accidents the demons who were demonized caused. In fact, I didn't even know the common sense of this place.

"...to be honest, it doesn't really make sense to me. As you and my older brother know, I never went out and only read books at home. I don't know because there is nothing to compare with."

"Hey. As your older sister said, don't underestimate yourself too much. You're our family's precious treasure. You understand?"

Nicole, who heard the answer, gently patted my head. I looked at her face with a pleased smile.

I also grinned and lived up to her expectations. Then Nicole pinched my cheek slightly.

"If there's anything you need, ask me and my brother. I don't know what will happen because of different majors, but I can help you with your life."

"yea, I got it."

"When you are at the academy, you have to focus on your studies. Don't feel burdened about writing. Okay?"

"yes."

"Nice boy. Our Isaac."

Like this, Nicole tends to see me as a child. In fact, not just her, but our entire family.

The world treats me as an adult when I turn 17, but won't they be like this until I turn 20? Still, it didn't feel too bad. Maybe it was because the family I could rely on in my previous life suddenly disappeared.

The relationship between family members was so warm and lovely. It was a fact that I realized later, so it was more important to me.

"Then let's go now. If you want to find us, call us anytime."

"Okay. I'll go."

I waved vigorously as I moved away from them. They both sent me messages of support and waved their hands.

Leaving behind the heartwarming reunion, I headed to the dormitory first. The location of the dormitory was explained by the guidance assistant before the entrance ceremony.

"Luluru~"

Today, the thought of resting comfortably in the dorm made me feel better.

*****

Meanwhile, in the auditorium, after Isaac left.

On the podium of the auditorium, two beauties as beautiful as elves were chatting with bright expressions.

One had jet-black hair and blood-red eyes, and the other had golden hair and blue eyes, each exuding a different charm.

In particular, the woman with her jet-black hair had horns protruding from her head, and anyone could tell that she was a demon.

Yes. The princess of Helium, Cecily, who entered Halo Academy this time, and the princess of the Minerva Empire, Rina.

They were genuinely happy, laughing like any other ordinary girl.

"hahaha! Really, that's... Ahh. Rina-sama. Do you know that scene? The part where Mary kicked the rogue."

"Oh, of course, I know. I think the name of the kick..."

"Hectopascal Kick. I heard it's one of the names of storms in your world."

"Fuhu! I remember. How refreshing it was back then."

Rina, the princess of the Minerva Empire and a freshman like Cecily, smiled modestly.

In her heart, she wanted to laugh like Cecily, but as a princess, she kept her dignity. Rather, Cecily, who laughed loudly without looking around, was unique.

"Are you also a big fan of Xenon's biography, Rina-sama? Seeing that you know even these details."

"Of course. To be honest, even if you haven't read Xenon's biography at all, wouldn't anyone have seen it at least once? I can assure you. But..."

Rina blurted her words for a moment, then glanced up and down Cecily's appearance. Everything was so perfect that words were insufficient to describe her as beautiful.

If she has pushed her innocent image to the limit, Cecily has pushed her mature image to the limit. In particular, there were the most prominent parts.

It was the chest, that is, the chest. She was pretty big herself, but Cecily... No further explanation was needed.

Her only blemish was that she was a demon, and honestly, in front of this beauty, even if Xenon's biography had not been released, she would have melted the affections of many men.

In response, Rina managed her expression as much as possible and asked Cecily.

"...Cecile, what do you think of the author of Xenon's biography?"

"The author?"

"Yes. He couldn't ease the fate of the demons, so he made it understandable to everyone. Isn't he actually a benefactor?"

Rina also treated demons as bombs before the publication of Xenon's biography. In fact, when she went out of the imperial palace, she was attacked by demons who were demonized.

From then on, she thought that the demons were a person wearing a devil's mask, but after Xenon's biography came out, it was completely different.

"I was also attacked by demons who were demonized. From then on, I was terrified of demons. But after this book came out, my views on demons have changed."

"... ..."

"Even I'm thinking this right now, but I'm curious what Cecily-sama thinks."

Hearing that question, Cecily was puzzled at first but then smiled softly.

There was a saying that there was nothing more beautiful than a smile full of sincerity. It was Cecily now.

As Rina was inwardly admiring her beautiful smile, Cecily placed her hand on her chest and opened her mouth.

In her blood-red eyes, there was a mixture of sadness and affection, and it wobbled softly.

"Benefactor... even it's not enough. He's the only person who sees our demons as humans rather than demons. I want to give him my all."

"Is it that bad?"

"Yes. Our demons have a history of being demonized for over 1,000 years. Do you remember what Sakran said at the end of Volume 5?"

"Ah. That part..."

Although it was completed yet, readers would definitely choose the last half of Volume 5 if they choose the best scenes from Xenon's biography. Because that scene fully represented the lonely fate of the demons.

Cecily opened her mouth in a low, subdued voice as if she was still immersed in the lingering mood.

"I... want to be like Sakran. Even at the last moment, as a demon who ends his life as a human rather than a demon."

"... ..."

"Then what do you think of the author, Rina-sama?"

"Ah, I..."

Rina panicked for a moment and avoided Cecily's gaze. When she listened to her inner feelings, she humbled herself.

But maybe it's because of her improvisation as a princess. Rina hastily uttered an answer.

"Who wants to be locked up in the imperial palace and let only write?"

"...Yes?"

Oh, she made a mistake.

Rina realized later that she had made a mistake in her own words, so she hastily covered her mouth. But she can not pick up the words once brought out.

Cecily burst into laughter as she stared blankly at her, as Rina's pure white face turned red in real-time.

"Puhahahaha! What is that! Are you serious?"

"Oh, that's...!"

"That's what you said in the newspaper, were you serious?"

"My, please, listen to me!"

As a result, the friendship between the two women deepened.

"Pu-et-choo!"

After arriving at his dormitory, Isaac, who was writing suddenly sneezed.

"Ugh. Oh, damn it. I got saliva on it."

He tore the manuscript smudged with saliva.

- - - End of Chapter - - -